I am very concerned at your support for the Brussels Call, a series of initiatives which will endanger sex workers; push them into criminality; increase risk and is not supported by any research or sex workers’ organisation. Today the European Women’s Lobby released a statement which contained a number of untruths and stigmatizing statements with your name attached in support.

Between 80 and 95% of persons in prostitution have suffered some form of violence before entering the system of prostitution (e.g.,rape, incest, paedophilia).[1]

The Pro Sentret report in Norway showed that criminalisation of clients leads to increased risks, rapes, violence, less time for screening, and lower condom usage. Economists have shown that it leads to lower prices, and sex workers being forced into changing their behaviour, with less time for risk management. That you support this is worrying in the extreme, and indicates little knowledge of, or concern for, the lives of sex workers.

The statement also claims that trafficking and sex work has decreased since criminalisation was introduced in Sweden. This is a complete fabrication which even the Swedish government does not claim. There are no pre-criminalisation statistics, and no evidence sex work has decreased. The lives of sex workers have become more difficult, which is seen as a victory by those who oppose sex work for religious/political/moral reasons. A 2011 study explains why a decrease cannot be claimed.

If you do genuinely care about sex workers, rather than supporting a campaign that will endanger them, I ask that you put your voice behind decriminalization on the New Zealand model. More information can be found out about their successful harm reduction and empowering of sex workers here.

To speak for sex workers instead of listening to them means you are ignoring the voices of an oppressed group, I hope this letter makes you reconsider and that you will contact sex workers groups in your country to learn more about what they want.С уважение, Б. Герасимов